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I rinse my hair and flip the tap, giving up on finding peace. At least I'm nearly ready for the day. After getting dressed in one of my many brightly colored Beach Babe Burger tees and putting on some bronzer, lip gloss and mascara, I run a brush through my hair and let it air dry. I'll pull it up before we leave to keep it out of the way.
Seeking caffeine like a drug-addicted fiend, I make a huge pot of coffee, knowing this is a three-cup kind of morning. I get the coffee going, then open the fridge to get half and half for my creamer when I spy the protein balls Jas apparently made last night while I worked at the bar.
She knows they're my favorite, and while there are plenty already bagged up for sale and sitting on the Don't Touch Shelf, these are on our personal shelves and up for grabs. So I do. I snag three of them and plop one in my mouth, sighing at the deliciousness. I might not sleep well, but I eat. And there is a reason these sell so well as both a punch of protein and a post-burger dessert.
I'm eating the second one when the coffee finishes, and I go for the largest mug we own. Once I've doctored it up and taken a sip, I curl up on the couch in the dark and finally take the first look at my phone.
That's when I see a text from Jas.
Vi, what's going on? Why did the prosecutor’s office call for you? Is it about the jerk that shall remain nameless?
There were also calls from her that I'd missed and then ignored last night because my phone was dead when I plugged it in to charge overnight.
I called Ty to check on you since you won't respond. He said Sully's got you with him. Thank God. Be safe. Enjoy the ride. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you. Just know it'll never happen again. I won't let it.
I lean my head back against the cushion, my eyes burning from fatigue and anger and all the things flying through my head too fast to name.
Eyes closed, I begin munching on the third of the protein bites. I am so tired and yet wide awake and wired because Jasmine's texts remind me yet again that I have a problem. Problems. I work multiple jobs and can't be distracted or jumpy. I can't lose focus and screw up. And yet here I am, completely obsessed with the news of my ex's release.
He might not be around at all. Think positively.
I snort and tell my inner positive chick to be realistic.
My narcissistic ex isn't a man who makes empty threats. Maybe he's changed, but the odds?
They are not in my favor….
Chapter 6
Sully
* * *
I use my lunch break to run down to the police station the following afternoon and thankfully catch MacGyver heading out of the building to begin his patrol. "Hey!"
He turns at the sound of my greeting, eyebrows lifting at the sight of me.
"Hey. So?"
I toss him the jacket he'd loaned me last night, and he grabs it with a grin. "So," I shoot back, "thanks for letting me borrow that, and I need a favor."
He drapes the jacket over his arm and stands there, waiting. I take a breath. If Violet finds out I'm digging into her past, she's going to be pissed. But her safety outweighs her anger in my book. "The call Vi got at the bar last night was from a county prosecutor’s office west of here. That's what set her off."
"And the favor?"
"I need you to find out why they called her."
MacGyver frowns at the request. "She wouldn't tell you why herself?"
"No," I say, wishing I possessed the magic that would unlock the mystery of Violet Greene. "But she's spooked, man. Really spooked. Can you help me out?"
He walks to his cruiser and opens the door to toss the jacket inside on the passenger seat. "Sul, if she wants you to know, she will tell you herself."
I rake a hand through my hair and will my shoulders down from my ears. I've been on edge since last night, and not even my workout has made a dent in the tension riding me hard. "She's not the sharing type. You know that. But we protect our own, and she's one of us. If she's in trouble, we need to know."
MacGyver locks his jaw at that and gives a slow nod, confirming my words hit home and he's in.
"That we do. I'll look into it. You got the number?”
